House Republican Leader Richard DeBolt is floating the idea of making $2 billion in new budget cuts by Christmas and skipping next year’s 60-day legislative session.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has said she plans to call lawmakers to Olympia to start a 30-day special session on Nov. 28. But there doesn’t appear to be a lot of takers on the Democratic side for DeBolt’s proposal, which he thinks could save $2 million.
“The governor has said many times, the special session is for the budget; the regular session is for job creation,” Gregoire spokeswoman Karina Shagren said Monday. “She still wants to use that time to develop policies and strategies to get Washingtonians back to work. You can’t just close a $2 billion budget deficit and say you are done.”
The regular session is due to begin Jan. 9 and runs 60 days, as it always does in even-numbered years when lawmakers take up a supplemental budget. The earlier special session would be focused on dealing with a $2 billion budget gap that emerged since lawmakers finished their work in May.
Gregoire has said she wants lawmakers to get the new budget cuts done in the special session, if possible.
But the cuts are harder this time, coming after the Legislature struggled for about 120 days to adopt a budget. A bipartisan agreement in the Senate – not supported by DeBolt’s Republicans in the House – eventually paved the way for a plan that increased many fees and cut $4.8 billion in projected state spending.
Sen. Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat and Senate budget chairman, said he doubts it is possible to approve all the legislation that would be needed to put a budget into law by Christmas.
“I guess my challenge, if Mr. DeBolt says we can do it in special session, (is): Put out a budget and show us how many of your members will vote for cuts to education and health care. … My guess is not enough.’’
House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, said House Democrats are still trying to grasp what $2 billion in cuts could look like – and he warned that new cuts will have even more impact on those who need state services than the budget passed in May.
“I think people would say we’re willing to go as long as we need to get the right budget,’’ Sullivan said.
There also is the problem of raising revenue, which requires a two-thirds vote in Olympia – thanks to Initiative 1053, which voters approved in 2010. Another option: A simple majority of lawmakers in the House and Senate could vote to put a tax question on the ballot.
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